''Rosa'' 'Alexander' (AKA HARlex) is an orange-red

hybrid tea rose Hybrid tea is an informal horticultural classification for a group of garden roses. The first hybrid tea roses were created in France in the mid-1800s, by cross-breeding the large, floriferous Hybrid Perpetuals with the tall, elegant Tea roses. ...

. The cultivar was bred by

Jack Harkness Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off series, '' Torchwood''. The character first appears in the 2005 ''Doctor Who'' episode " The Empty Child" and subsequently features in t ...

and introduced into

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

in 1972 by R. Harkness Roses & Co, Ltd. It has been awarded the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) by the

Royal National Rose Society The Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) (1876-2017) was a specialist horticultural organization in the United Kingdom dedicated to the cultivation and appreciation of roses. Founded in 1876 as the "National Rose Society", it was the world's olde ...

(RNRS) in 1993.

Description

'Alexander' is renowned for its "vigour and its brilliant colouring." It is a tall, upright hybrid tea rose, 6 to 8 ft (182–243 cm) in height, with a 3 to 4 ft (91-121 cm) plant spread. The rose has large (26-40 petals) double flowers, typically borne singly in large clusters. 'Alexander' has a mild fragrance and has a bloom color of orange or orange-red. The plant blooms in flushes from spring to fall. The rose's long stems make it ideal for cutting. The foliage is light green, and the plant has many thorns and prickles. It is susceptible to mildew and blackspot.

History

'Alexander' was developed by Jack Harkness of Harkness Roses ( R. Harkness & Co. Ltd) at

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town and unparished area in the North Hertfordshire district in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 35,842. History Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people, a tribe holding 300 ...

, Hertfordshire. The acclaimed nursery, which continues to sell roses today, was established in 1879 in

Bedale Bedale ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the district of Hambleton, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is north of Leeds, south-west of Middlesbrough and south-west of the county town of ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

by brothers, John Harkness (1857-1933) and (Robert Harkness (1851-1920). Jack Harkness (1918-1994) is the grandson of the original co-founder John Harkness. 'Alexander' was bred by Jack Harkness and introduced into Britain in 1972. Harkness named the rose in honour of Field Marshall

Harold Alexander Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, (10 December 1891 – 16 June 1969) was a senior British Army officer who served with distinction in both the First and the Second World War and, afterwards, as Governor G ...

(1891-1969). The parentage of the rose cultivar is a combination of: ''Rosa'' 'Tropicana' x (''Rosa'' 'Ann Elizabeth' × ''Rosa'' 'Allgold') The rose has five child plants. The rose has won multiple awards including the ADR in 1973, the Hamburg Gold Medal in 1973, The Belfast Gold Medal in 1974, the James Mason Gold Medal in 1987, and the

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

(AGM) by the

(RNRS) in 1993.

Child plants

* ''Rosa'' 'Breath of life', (Harkness, 1980) * ''Rosa'' 'Grace Donnelly', (Horner, 1991) * ''Rosa'' 'Breath of life', (Harkness, 1980) * ''Rosa'' 'Remember me', ( Cocker, 2003) * ''Rosa'' 'Spanish sunset', (Franko Roses, 2008)

References

{{Rose, state=collapsed

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

1972 introductions